[Dixielandjazz] San Diego Festival

Jim/Myrna Goodwin goodwinhawkins at cox.net
Wed Nov 23 12:03:41 PST 2005


Hope to see a lot of you at the San Diego Festival.

http://www.dixielandjazzfestival.org/

Kelly Hawkins


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 12:00 PM
Subject: Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 35, Issue 53


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> Today's Topics:
> 
>   1. Jazz Baritone Horn (Steve barbone)
>   2. Re: Topic 3 - Baritone as Trombone (richard88jazz at att.net)
>   3. Re: Baritone as Trombone (Robert Smith)
>   4. Music and money (Bob Loomis)
>   5. Re: Uniforms -? Public Perception (OArkas at aol.com)
>   6. Re: Wild Bill With Strings (Steven Holzer)
>   7. RE: Music and money (Jim Kashishian)
>   8. The difference between live and recorded music (Russ Guarino)
>   9. Hat Trick (Talegatorz at aol.com)
>  10. Re: Uniforms -  Public Perception (Larry Walton Entertainment)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 11:59:10 -0500
> From: Steve barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Jazz Baritone Horn
> To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Message-ID: <BFAA0A0E.421D%barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> D and R Hardie <darnhard at ozemail.com.au> wrote
> 
>> Hi everybody,
>> It may seem  a bit trivial, but the baritone horn
>> had a distinguished history in early New Orleans jazz bands. As I
>> recall, Jack Laine and Georg Brunis were baritone players and there
>> were others. It would be interesting to hear early jazz played on the
>> instrument.
> 
> There is a picture of George Bruni(e)s, brother Abbie and an unidentified
> drummer on page 17 of "Jazz" , G. Ward & Ken Burns. Circa 1910, it shows the
> three kids posed in front of a streetcar. Drums, Trumpet and what appears to
> be a Baritone Horn held by little Georgie. Allegedly, they played for tips.
> 
> Also, many pictures of a baritone horn in Laine's "Reliance Marching Band"
> exist from the same period.
> 
> Cheers,
> Steve 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 17:15:28 +0000
> From: richard88jazz at att.net
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Re: Topic 3 - Baritone as Trombone
> To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> Message-ID:
> <112320051715.8622.4384A3AF000E848E000021AE216028074196960E06C8C80B9D0E080C079D at att.net>
> 
> 
> 
> A Bariton Horn would be perfectly fine as a trombone substitute IF the player sticks to playing TROMBONE PARTS.  In my experience, that's usually NOT the case and that presents a real problem in ensemble playing!!  Most bari players treat the horn as a SOLO instrument which is usually in the way during ensembles.  Even during solos, if straying too far from the trombone style, it becomes a muddled mess and not very pleasing to hear.  Of course, there are always exceptions, but this has been my experience.  My bottom line: Better to leave the thing home and do without rather than listening to bleating bari solos all night long!!!
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving to all.
> 
> Rich Skrika, piano
> Albany, NY
> richard88jazz at att.net
> 
> 
>> Message: 3 
>> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 18:41:11 +1100 
>> From: D and R Hardie 
>> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Baritone as Trombone? 
>> To: jobriant at garlic.com 
>> Cc: 'Pam Munter' , dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com 
>> Message-ID: <8472DBB6-5BF4-11DA-8ACD-000A9590C3FA at ozemail.com.au> 
>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed 
>> 
>> Hi everybody, 
>> It may seem a bit trivial, but the baritone horn 
>> had a distinguished history in early New Orleans jazz bands. As I 
>> recall, Jack Laine and Georg Brunis were baritone players and there 
>> were others. It would be interesting to hear early jazz played on the 
>> instrument. 
>> regards. 
>> Dan Hardie 
>> http://members.ozemail.com.au/~darnhard/EarlyJazzHistory.html 
>> 
>> On Wednesday, November 23, 2005, at 01:35 PM, Jim O'Briant wrote: 
>> 
>> > Pam Munter asks: 
>> > 
>> >> ... Anyone else have any experience with a 
>> >> baritone in a Dixieland band? 
>> > 
>> > Bob Romans (who's subscribed to this list) and the Cell Block Seven use 
>> > three or four Double-Bell Euphoniums. 
>> > 
>> > Howard Miyata of the High Sierra Jazz Band will occasionally put down 
>> > his 
>> > Kanstul Trombone (with a solid copper bell that he raves about) and 
>> > pick up 
>> > Kanstul baritone -- a true, smaller-bore & less-conical British Brass 
>> > Band 
>> > Baritone. 
>> > 
>> > And there have been a lot of valve trombone players in OKOM over the 
>> > years.... 
>> > 
>> > Jim O'Briant 
>> > Tuba 
>> > Gilroy, CA 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 18:24:30 +0100
> From: "Robert Smith" <robert.smith at mitransport.no>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Re: Baritone as Trombone
> To: "Dixieland Jazz" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Message-ID: <004101c5f052$c36e7df0$d1ec803e at RobertSPC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> I bet Kid Ory's turning in his grave. "Ory's Creole Baritone" doesn't captivate me in the same way, but then I'm biased. I played baritone once, and this was has nothing to offer compared with my first love - the trombone! Why, the baritone only plays in tune when you don't press any valves.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Bob Smith
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 09:34:01 -0800 (PST)
> From: Bob Loomis <miltloomis at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Music and money
> To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> Message-ID: <20051123173401.6347.qmail at web53404.mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> 
>   OK, I'm not a pro musician, I'm an amateur
> coffeehouse string band musician who happens to
> love OKOM, too. 
>   One thing I seem to notice even at the lowly
> level at which our band has played and plays (The
> best gigs we get are weddings and birthday
> parties, and they are few and far between)is that
> musicians today (except for those who are stars
> in the Big Bucks Music Industry) are viewed
> pretty much as little better than gypsies,
> ne'er-do-wells, hired help, and less important
> even than waiters and waitresses. Plus live music
> is no longer a part of the normal fabric of
> day-to-day life in most of the cities, suburbs
> and towns of our nation. TV and satellite radio
> and computers and MP3s are replacing actual live
> cultural activity. It's a far cry from when local
> people who knew everybody in their town or 'hood
> played weekend dances that were a high point of
> social life.
>   Of course there are exceptions, but they
> usually don't pay real well. IMHO part of the
> reason for that is that many people don't know or
> care how much work goes into making music even
> rudimentarily well. They perceive musicians as
> people who do nothing but have fun, as people who
> never work. (OK, maybe they're partly right <GGG>
> ...)
>   And of course the people who hire musicians
> are another whole topic. Many of them don't give
> a rat's ass for music, they just want to increase
> their business and they think maybe music will
> help do that.
>   Just a few random thoughts from an amateur who
> still loves playing and listening to music,
> whether by TCash's groups, Steve's band,
> Preservation Hall, whoever is putting out a
> soulful bit of music that conveys life's
> emotional complexity.
> 
> Happy Webtrails, Bob Loomis
> "So Many Tunes, So Little Time!"
> 
>   
>   
> 
> 
> 
> __________________________________ 
> Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click.
> http://farechase.yahoo.com
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 5
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 12:57:14 EST
> From: OArkas at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Uniforms -? Public Perception
> To: barbonestreet at earthlink.net, TCASHWIGG at aol.com,
> larrys.bands at charter.net, dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> Message-ID: <271.5db2d2.30b6077a at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> Hi, Folks:
> Interesting talk on Preservation Hall.
> All I can say is, I'm a folk musician, and I love the "authentic" styles.
>About 14 years ago, we had the opportunity to be in New Orleans and visited 
> Pres. Hall.
> Better yet, Willie and Percy Humphrey were playing.   Quite simply, it was 
> great!   It was traditional, and I loved it.   They were just the "real thing."  
> From their traditional background came the sound and style that are the 
> roots of the music so many of us love.   (Willie even played Albert clarinet like 
> we Greeks do, and he and I talked about that for awhile.)
> All I can say is, I enjoyed Preservation Hall a lot.   And I like lots of 
> other groups I hear today who are not necessarily as "authentic" or old 
> fashioned.   Always loved Turk Murphy and Bob Helm too!!!
> Happy Thanksgiving!
> John
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 6
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 13:02:30 -0500
> From: Steven Holzer <slholzer at iquest.net>
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Wild Bill With Strings
> To: Stan Brager <sbrager at socal.rr.com>
> Cc: DJML <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>, "Robert S. Ringwald"
> <robert at ringwald.com>
> Message-ID: <4384AEB6.90608 at iquest.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> 
> After Hackett hit with Gleason in the earliest 50's, there were an 
> abundance of me-too records made. That was probably at least  factor in 
> Bill's not making any waves.  Perceived image may also be an issue.  
> Deep down, did Bill really want to be known for that kind of thing?  
> Also, given the abundance of more tractable artists available, is it 
> possible that  the studio guys walked away from Bill and his reputation 
> as a wild man?  Projects made in heaven have foundered on less.
> 
> Steve Holzer
> 
> Stan Brager wrote:
> 
>>Do you think that the reason that Wild Bill with strings didn't catch on was
>>because there was too much jazz for the average-popular-music bear, rock and
>>roll was coming on the scene in a big way, and those who liked the Wild one
>>were expecting something much more exciting along the lines of the Condon
>>bunch?
>>
>> 
>>
>>
>>  
>>
>>  
>>
>>  
>>
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 7
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 19:11:15 +0100
> From: "Jim Kashishian" <jim at kashprod.com>
> Subject: RE: [Dixielandjazz] Music and money
> To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Message-ID:
> <mailman.0.1132776007.81737.dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> TV and satellite radio and computers and MP3s are replacing actual live
> cultural activity. It's a far cry from when local people who knew everybody
> in their town or 'hood played weekend dances that were a high point of
> social life.
> Bob Loomis
> 
> 
> Bob, it's a matter of economics, and it's been happening over a long period
> of time.  Naturally, the working musician needs to charge enough to live on,
> but the clubs can only hike their prices so high.  A person's wages has gone
> up a great deal over the yrs, but people will only shell out so much for a
> drink or a meal.
> 
> Also, local authorities placed entertainment taxes, required sound proofing,
> etc., etc.
> 
> So, little by little the musician is replaced by recorded music, or smaller
> & smaller groups. I remember, while still in the U.S. back in the 1950's,
> that many bars that before had live music were down to an organist or a
> pianist.  
> 
> Then, electronics came along & allowed one musician to be accompanied by a
> live orchestra if he/she bought the right equipment.
> 
> Too many times music in a bar or restaurant is only background music, so it
> matters little as to what is actually doing the playing.
> 
> It's a worldwide thing, naturally, some countries diving first, with the
> U.S. probably in the lead (way back in the late '50's).
> 
> There's another part of this equation that musician's don't like to discuss:
> the actual musician in many cases has been at fault for this situation in
> many cases.  I can only reflect on what I saw happen here in Madrid, Spain
> where I live, but in the late 1960's there were gobs of "afternoon clubs"
> (afternoon being up to 10pm!) that catered to the young people who had to be
> home by 10pm in those days (strict Daddy!).  These places all had house
> bands, and the musicians would send subs in left & right, not show up at
> all, booze, be slobs, be bored, not respect playing times, etc., etc.  I saw
> a lot of that, and of course, when the bosses found they could put on a
> record that sounded better than the band, well......
> 
> It's just the modern world we live in.  The only work-around to this problem
> is just that...to work....where ever & whenever you can, keeping your price
> in line with your level of musicianship.  There are some who lament the loss
> of the neighborhood shops to the malls.  It's just part of our life, now,
> however, some special, quality small shops open up and do well, offering
> product at a price in line with the quality.
> 
> Jim
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 8
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 10:24:01 -0800
> From: Russ Guarino <russg at redshift.com>
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] The difference between live and recorded
> music
> To: DJML <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Message-ID: <4384B3C1.6FC0894B at redshift.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> Lately I have been telling people that the difference between music
> piped in overhead in a restaurant and live music is like the difference
> between plastic flowers and real flowers on the table, or plastic fruit
> and real fruit.
> 
> The plastic kind may look good, but the real thing has a lot more class.
> 
> Russ Guarino
> Clarinet Maverick
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 9
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 13:27:13 EST
> From: Talegatorz at aol.com
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Hat Trick
> To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> Message-ID: <287.16d08f.30b60e81 at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> One of the best comedy bits my group does is to start the first set playing 
> The
> Washington and Lee Swing with a slow  6/8 tempo and increasingly bad style 
> which collapses in an ugly heap near the end of the first chorus. The band 
> scratches heads and generally tries to look stupid until one of us says; "Oh I 
> know! We forgot the hats!" I then retrieve an old battered suitcase from off 
> stage.
> Inside are a bunch of cheap straw hats which are then passed around to the 
> band and selected audience members. This is followed by a hot, up-tempo version 
> of the same tune. The audience is usually in stitches and are totally on board 
> with us. 
> That this bit is so successful just shows what a cliche'  the straw hat and 
> suspenders garb has become.  Just like the German bands wearing lederhosen, 
> there's nothing wrong with; its just what many audiences have come to expect. 
> That said, I propose we all agree to wear what we like and what works best 
> for our gig situations. 
> 
> Thankfull this Thanksgiving to be part of such a wonderful community 
> dedicated to the enjoyment and preservation of Dixieland Jazz, 
> 
> Gus Bloch
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 10
> Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2005 13:41:42 -0600
> From: Larry Walton Entertainment <larrys.bands at charter.net>
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Uniforms -  Public Perception
> To: Steve barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> Cc: DJML <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Message-ID: <4384C5F6.5080805 at charter.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> 
> I put this in to get a rise out of you
> "You actually have to explain to older audiences that you are hip!"
> 
> I did a single (me and my computer) for a bunch of HS band kids 
> yesterday and they really went wild over the things I played.  When I 
> did Titanic about 30 of the girls sang along. That was a kick.  I did 
> only about 7 or 8 tunes in the time I had but they clapped for every one 
> that I did and several came up to see what I was doing and one asked 
> what the instrument was that I was playing.  I'm thinking about doing 
> some lunch concerts for them with the whole group.
> 
> So I am a jazz activist that creates work for my band.
> 
> That's what I like about you Steve.  You and others inspire me to better 
> things and give me ideas.   I am sure that there are others out there 
> that think the same way.
> 
> but you didn't answer the $24K question
> and that's what is cool. You seem to know what isn't.
> 
> I wanted to hear what you had to say. on the subject I guess if you have to ask you aren't. (as you pointed out)  Unfortunately the business that I run into isn't into hip although I did like the Casino Ideas you had.  Sounded comfortable, inexpensive and something everyone has.  I guess that my thing is that the band should look sharp.  Guys have shown up on formal gigs I've played wearing Jeans a T shirt and a Tux jacket. This is the fastest way to commit "gigacide" in my book.  Then they wonder why the leader is pissed.
> 
> I just hate to wear a jacket when I play because I get hot.
> I kind of like the retro 40's look some of the bands have.    No jacket required, loud tie, suspenders, pleated pants, white or pin stripe long sleeve shirt with rolled up cuffs.  Vests if the individual wants but preferably everything in shades of brown.
> 
> I had a CO when I was in the AF that said that people hear through their eyes.  I believe that.  Long after the sound has faded the visual image remains.  I guess that's why I want the musicians to be sharp looking in addition to playing well. 
> 
> On Kenny G.  I agree with you on everything you have said but I do have one small problem and It really has nothing to do with his music but rather the soprano sax in general and that is when I play it and he plays it the sax players in the crowd want to play one too.  I have them come up to me all the time.  I had a student two years ago go right out and buy one after she heard me play.  This is very complementary but the wrong thing for them to do. I would never encourage a student or anyone who wasn't a very solid player to play one.  This sounds like a put down but I wouldn't encourage a Cessna pilot to jump into an F15 either.  I think that it's a wonderful instrument and I enjoy playing one but it's also one that to sound good escapes most players.
> 
> When I was a whole lot younger (about 17 or 18) I tried one in a music store and sounded awful.  I ascribed my bad sound to the crappy instrument. (Selmer)  I had a pretty good sound at the time on alto and thought I would have the same on all the saxes.  About 35 years later I played one with the AF band and funny how instruments improved in those 35 years.  The thing actually sounded good.  What had actually happened is that my concepts had gotten better, my ear much better trained and my ability to play in tune had gotten solid.
> 
> It's hard to argue with success.  Kenny G. is a skillful business man and marketer of his skills.  Anyone would do well to emulate him in those things.  His music is very close to elevator music IMHO and I prefer something a little more hard hitting and less flowery but that's personal taste.  It's tough to argue with success.
> Larry Walton
> St. Louis
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Steve barbone wrote:
>> Larry Walton Entertainment at larrys.bands at charter.net asks: (polite snip)
>>
>>   
>>> but you didn't answer the $24K question
>>> and that's what is cool. You seem to know what isn't.  So let me pick
>>> this apart a bit.  Got some web sites to visit?
>>>     
>>
>> Goodness, I didn't say look cool and I don't rely on web sites for dress
>> information. Usually, I wear L.L. Bean khaki pants and a Ralph Lauren shirt.
>> Soft white walking shoes in Summer, black walking shoes in winter.
>>
>>   
>>> OK what is it? (meaning the "look" I mention as a uniform)
>>>     
>>
>> As stated above. Some sidemen prefer turtleneck shirt and roomy jacket,
>> others wool slacks, etc., etc., etc. What I would call neat - casual.
>>
>>   
>>> That seems to be jeans and a T.  Frankly we (I) would look like hell in
>>> that.  Is it the bands job to try to look like the crowd?
>>>     
>>
>> What on earth gave you that idea? Wear what any well dressed casual male
>> wears when going to the mall to shop. I did not say look like the crowd, I
>> said relate to the crowd.
>>
>>   
>>> We do a lot of that kind of playing. (regarding retirement homes)
>>> You actually have to explain to older audiences that you are hip!
>>>     
>>
>> No you don't. We just tell them how many gigs we do for young folks and how
>> this music is coming back in the area and how the kids love us, just like
>> you (they) do. If you are well dressed, have the bios we do, and have been
>> doing gigs once a year there for 8 years, and are all jazz musicians, they
>> know damn well we are hip. They hear our hippness in the music, and our
>> patter. They are not stupid and know who and what jazz musicians are.
>>  
>>   
>>> Well that's OK to say but again what's Hip.  I would love to see Tom's
>>> group and from his web page he is "hip" but if I copied him we would be
>>> a bunch of old white guys trying to look black. Not a pretty picture and
>>> it wouldn't float.
>>>     
>>
>> Well hip is what jazz musicians are. If you are not a jazz musician, but are
>> a musician who sometimes also plays jazz, you have only a slight chance to
>> be hip. But, if you have to ask what it is, you will never be hip. It is an
>> attitude. "Hey man, I'm hip." Now if that is not you, then don't try to be
>> hip because you will never succeed. As with jazz, copying is not the answer.
>>  
>>   
>>> about the general public perceiving "Dixieland" as older, white musicians,
>>> dressed in old time outfits, playing yesterday's corny music. Larry writes
>>>     
>>
>>   
>>> Guilty although I don't think it's corny.  I took in the Preservation
>>> hall band in New Orleans several years ago and it wasn't corny at all
>>> just badly performed by guys that were way over the hill.  Not that I
>>> have any objection to that actually but not in a venue that's supposed
>>> to be a showcase . The group that day sounded like a  green sheet job
>>> to benefit retirees. There is one band around here that is really bad
>>> also but they seem to work a lot.
>>>     
>>
>> Those are black guys, the originators of jazz and they are playing in the
>> ORIGINAL STYLE. You miss the raison d'etre of Preservation Hall. THIS IS THE
>> MUSIC THAT STARTED IT ALL. FOLK MUSIC Dixieland. If the rest of us wanted to
>> copy the music from the very beginning, this is exactly what we should sound
>> like. Who are we to question that? It is period music and it is hip in the
>> genre of period music. They are PRESERVING IT, not innovating it.
>>  
>>   
>>> Trad is generally ignored here although in all fairness so is a lot of
>>> other jazz too.  It would be hard to characterize St. Louis as being
>>> anything.  Typically we don't have many headliners hit here.  As you
>>> point out  good reviews don't come very often.  We do have some
>>> fantastic players working some of the venues.
>>>     
>>
>> Dixieland and Jazz are generally ignored everywhere in the USA. Few of us
>> band leaders are trying to do something about that. But even our own peers
>> give us a load of crap about it for reasons which still mystify me. As a 71+
>> year old American, I was brought up to be responsible for what I do and to
>> create my own environment. Not to believe that the world owes me a living
>> because I am an artist. So I am a jazz activist that creates work for my
>> band. That seems to piss some people off, but what the hell, I am not doing
>> it for them anyway.
>>
>>   
>>> Larry writes about bands dressing in the uniforms of the times
>>>     
>>  
>>   
>>> We are back to T shirts and Jeans.  Just wearing a tie is no longer the
>>> norm and as someone suggested that bands of the past dressed elegantly
>>> in white tuxes and tails.  Yes that's a fact as many photos suggest.  I
>>> suggest that those bands had to dress that way just as society bands
>>> dress in tuxes today.  I put on my tux every Saturday night.  There is
>>> another angle and that was that they wanted to be accepted as more than
>>> street musicians and they did it through often elegant clothing.
>>>     
>>
>> Get off the T shirt and jeans concept. Gee whiz, last Saturday I did a
>> formal jazz concert/dance for a Fraternity at the University of PA. I wore
>> Tux pants, suspenders, white shirt, long tie. T shirts and jeans are not
>> normal audience wear. Play a public park concert. The audience is casually
>> dressed. So dress neatly and casually. Slacks and a Sport Shirt are perfect.
>> Me, I'm partial to Ralph Lauren wear because I personally relate to horses,
>> having owned between 3 (now) and 11 (20 years ago) for the past 30 years.
>>
>>   
>>> I would think that a club would be the wrong place to wear the vests
>>> etc. However on the street and a lot of other informal kind of gigs I
>>> think it is appropriate and a whole lot more comfortable than some other
>>> outfits might be.
>>>     
>>
>> Our neat casual wear suffices for 95% of our gigs, excluding the Showboat
>> Casino. At the showboat, we are trying to look like a New Orleans Marching
>> Band without being in uncomfortable clothing. So we wear Tux Pants, black
>> suspenders, regular white shirts, long colorful ties. And every day we play
>> there, about 100 this year, we are asked "Are You From New Orleans?, so we
>> know we have succeeded. Once I asked a wedding groom what we should wear.
>> (They were formal) Being about 25 years old, he said: "Hey, you're the band,
>> wear what you please." So we played in our neat casual mode. The bridal
>> party and the guests thought it was hip.
>>  
>>   
>>> I don't think the music is corney however it is dated but I guess that
>>> assumes that the performance is somehow less than standard and I dislike
>>> doing anything that is less than standard.
>>>     
>>
>> The music may not be corny . . . but the PERCEPTION of the mass audience is
>> that it is all corny. You and I know better, but they don't. Corny implies
>> for example, that Dixieland clarinet is like what Ted Lewis played. That
>> indeed is now seen as corny, but not all clarinetists played like him.
>>  
>>   
>>> Go for it but I have found that a lot of musicians like to do that
>>> anyway to anyone they perceive as lesser musicians or not as cool than
>>> themselves or not "in".  It doesn't say a lot for us.
>>>     
>>
>> I follow an unwritten rule of never putting another musician down by name,
>> publicly. Note that I usually use "we" when I discuss what I perceive as a
>> general fault. That includes "me". Heck I even defend Kenny G when folks
>> name him as a musical hack. What bullshit. He plays melody, he plays in
>> tune, his music has pleased countless millions and new Christmas Album is
>> wonderful. And oh yes, his music has all the elements of jazz including
>> improvisation. How the hell then, does anyone have the balls to put him down
>> for what he accomplishes?
>>
>> Not to like his music is fine, but to then rant and publicly put him down
>> for it, is simply ignorant. Many do it because they think it is cool. BUT:
>>
>> The hip folks among us appreciate him for what he is. ;-) VBG
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Steve
>>
>>   
> 
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> End of Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 35, Issue 53
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